The present invention relates to valves used for controlling the flow of fluids. The invention has particular applicability to control the pressurized ink in an ink jet printer. For example, the preferred embodiment of the invention is suitable for use with the ink jet printer described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,187 assigned to Bell & Howell Company of Chicago, Ill., the assignee also of the present invention.
In the field of ink jet printers, it is extremely important to be able to stop the flow of pressurized ink very quickly, without allowing the fluid to drool, which would result from a gradual reduction of pressure at shut-off.
Hence, one object of the present invention is to provide an improved valve system which results in a rapid and decisive shut-off of fluid flow in a pressurized fluid system while preserving efficient operation when the valve is open (for example, avoiding pressure losses).